Cotton chopper and cultivator.



' Patdnted Feb. 25, I902.

w. c. ELSEY. COTTON CHOPPER AND GULTIVATOR.

' (Applicatiofl filed Jqly 27, 1 901. iN Modem 3 Sheets-$h6et I.

314mm Mam Giza/"y,

Wilma I No. 694,055. Patented Feb. 25,; I902.

w. c. ELSEY. COTTON CHOPPER AND CULTIVATOB.

(Application filed July 2'7, 1901.

3 sheetssheei 2.

(No Model.)

" ammntoa v No. 694,055.. Patented Feb. 25, 19 02.

WLCfELSEY. COTTON CHOPPER AND CULTIVATOB.

(Application filed July 27.1901.)

(No Model.) 1 3 Sheets$haet 3 i 3 41/71 I w 2 i a 7 3/1 3 1a 8 0 i miscams PETERS 1:0,, PHoTo-Lrrua, WASHINGTON, n. c.

' UNITED. STATES PATENT GFFICE.

IVILLIAM O. ELSEY, OF AURORA, MISSOURI.

COTTON CHOPPER AND CULTIVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 694,05 5, dated February25, 1902.

' Application filed July 27,1901. Serial No. 99,919. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. ELSEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Aurora, in the county of Lawrence and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and use- I tion of which will be fully setforth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a cotton chopper andcultivator which may be freely drawn over the ground and which may be soadjusted that it will reliably perform its office of removing a surplusof the cotton-plants and destroying weeds, grass, or the like growingtherewith.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly insection, of my invention complete ready for use. Fig. 2 is a top planview thereof, illustrating the seat by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a rearelevation of my improved cotton-chopper, while Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview illustrating the knife-shaft.

In materializing my invention I provide the carrying-wheels 1, havingthe axle or shaft 2, upon which the framework of my improvedcotton-chopper is mounted, said framework comprising the end sections 3and the side members 4, said side members being provided with suitablehearings, in which a contiguous part of the axle 2 is journaled. I alsoprovide theauxiliary frame-sections 5, which are provided upon theirrear ends with an aperture adapted to afford a bearing-seat foracontiguous part of the axle extending therethrough, while the forwardends of said sections are connected directly with the tongue 6 by meansof the braces 7. To the axle 2 I rigidly secure the driving-gear 8,designed to mesh with the beveled gear 9, carried upon the shaft 10, insuch a manner that it may be readily moved in and out of mesh with thegear 8 by means of the controlling-lever 11,

properly held in position by the bracket 12 and controlled by thefoot-lever 13, which latter is connected to the lever11 by thelinksection 14, as more clearly shown in Fig. 1. To the rear end of theshaft 10 I secure, in any preferred way, a plurality of radiating arms15, each of which is provided with the longitudinally-curvedcutting-blade 16, having the laterally-extending terminal 17, and it isobvious that when the shaft 10 is rapidly rotated and the machine drawnover the ground said knives will successively engage the surface of thesoil and remove surplus cottonplants or destroy grasses, weeds, or thelike.

The middle portion of the end section 3 is removed sufficiently topermit the upward or downward play or movement of the tongue 6, and inorder that the ends of the divided section 3 may be secured in place Iprovide the yoke 18, which extends upwardly above the section 3,,and hasattached thereto the upwardly-extending bracket or eyebolt 19, which ispivotally attached to the forwardlyextending branch20 of thecontrolling-lever 21, which latter is pivoted in position upon thebracket 22, attached to a contiguous part of the tongue.

Inorder to hold the lever 21 in an adjusted position, I integrally formwith or otherwise secure to the bracket 22 the rack-bar 23 and provideupon the lever 21 a suitable detent to engage the teeth of saidrack-bar, and thereby hold the lever in an adjusted position. By meansof the lever 21 I am therefore enabled to relatively adjust the tongueand the main frame-section, and thereby lift the rear end of saidframe-section or depress it, as desired, and incidentally raise andlower the shaft 10 and the cutting-blades carried thereby. I alsoprovide upon the under side of the forward section 3 the dependingbrackets 24, there being two of said brackets, connected by the rod 25,which latter is designed to limit the downward movement of the plow-beamIOC foot controlling-levers 31, whereby the operator occupying the seat32, located upon the frame, may laterally move said plows or shovels asdesired during the operation of the machine.

The knives or cutting-blades 16 are preferably adjustably mounted uponthe radial arms 15, as by means of bolts or the equivalent thereof, andin order that the knives may be mounted so that they will yieldinglymove away from a root or other solid object I provide the interveningresilient section, formed of a heavy coiled spring 33, as illustrated indetail in Fig. 4, and it is obvious that the knife may strike some solidobject and yet be less liable to injury than would be the case if theblade were rigidly mounted in place upon the arm 15.

The gear-wheel 9 is provided with the sleeve 34, said sleeve beingdesigned to move longitudinally upon the shaft 10, but forced to rotatetherewith by means of the key 35, the sleeve 34 and its accompanyinggear 9 being normally held in such position that said gear will be inmesh with the gear 8 by means of the spring 36, coiled around acontiguous part of the shaft 10, as will be obvious by reference to thedrawings.

In order that the cutting depth of the shovels or shares 28 may beeasily regulated or controlled, I provide the adjustable roller 37,having the journals 38, which are mounted in suitable bearings upon theside sections 4. I also provide upon one of the side sections 4 thesegmental rack-bar 39, designed-to cooperate with the controlling-lever40, provided with a suitable detent adapted to engage the teeth upon thebar 39, and as each of the plows is connected to the roller 37, as bymeans of the chains 41, it is obvious that by rotating or partlyrotating said roller 37 the chains may be wound thereon, and therebyelevate the plows or permit the same to be lowered, as desired, by theoperator.

After the several cooperating parts of my invention have been assembledin their respective operative positions, substantially as hereindescribed, the machine may be drawn over the ground, which will inducethe rotation of the gears 8 and 9 and the incident rotation of the shaft10, thereby causing the knives to either deeply or lightly engage thesurface of the soil, according to the adjustment of the lever 21.

The arms 15 and their accompanying knives may be increased in number, ifdesired. If but one or two of said knives are employed,

the knives will contact with the surface only at intervals, leavingparts of the surface untouched, and thereby not disturbing portions ofthe row of cotton-plants, while if the knives are increased in number aless number of act ton-plants will be left standing.

My improved combined cotton chopper and cultivator Will be found verydesirable and useful for the purpose specified and will also be foundadvantageous as a cultivator of the soil, inasmuch as the surfacebetween rows of growing plants of corn, cotton, or the like may bethoroughly agitated by the outting-blades, thereby removing the grasses,Weeds, or undesirable growth.

While I have described the preferred combination and construction ofparts, it will be understood that I desire to comprehend suchsubstantial equivalents and substitutes as may be considered to fallfairly within the scope and purview of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a combined cotton chopperand cultivator, the combination with asuitable frame and carrying-wheels therefor, of an auxiliary framecooperating with the main frame and having a bearing for the contiguouspart of the axle, a tongue connected to the auxiliary frame, means toregulate the relative position of said frames, ashaft rotatably mountedon the frame, means to actuate said shaft, radial arms carried by oneend of said shaft and having resilient portions, knives carried by saidarms, all combined substantially as specified and for the purpose setforth.

2. Ina device of the character described, the combination with a shaftand an arm radiating therefrom and a longitudinallycurved cutting arm orblade carried thereby and an intervening resilient portion or section,as set forth.

3. The combination with a shaft and arms radiating therefrom and havingresilient portions between their ends, of longitudinallycurvedcutting-blades carried by said arms, a sleeve slidingly mounted on theshaft to rotate therewitlnaud a spring on said shaft acting on thesleeve, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM C. ELSEY.

